Breaking Point II: Crossing the Divides
by Menamebephil
Summary: When a legendary superhero goes rogue, the Titans and Young Justice must pick up the pieces. JLU crossover.
1. Dr Love is IN

**Breaking Point II- Crossing the Divides.**

**You knew I couldn't leave this story hanging like that, and I haven't, so don't worry.**** A short intro chapter, as always. This is going to be action heavy, and expect a large cast of characters.**

**Chapter One: Dr. Love is IN.**

The young man stepped into the training simulator, and spoke into the microphone on the control panel.

"Custom simulation 1162, clearance password: Delta."

With that, he stepped into the main area, as a countdown started.

"3…2…1…Begin."

With that, a crashing orchestral score blared over the speakers, and a host of drones burst from side panels. Grinning, the man leapt high into the air and loosed a bolt of lightning at the first drone, shutting it down. Landing, he sent a pulse of electricity into the floor, stunning every drone in the room. As the music picked up, so did the fighter, who loosed a punch, the static electricity behind it enough to send the drone flying backwards, cutting a swathe through the enemies. The man jumped and ducked, lightning cascading from his fingers and his fists sending enemies flying. He was untouchable.

As the music ended, the few remaining drones deactivated, and the figure went into a pirouetted crouch, his coat and dreadlocks spinning around him. He spoke two words.

"Bad. _Ass._"

"Careful, Static, one of these days you might actually pose a threat."

Static turned to see Mary Marvel grinning at him. "What song was that?"

"'He's a Pirate'. It's from the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack."

"So you were just training to a film score because…?"

Static shrugged. "It makes me feel cool."

"You're hopeless."

"Now, children, don't bicker." The two looked at the newcomer. Beast Boy.

"Hey Logan." Static nodded. "I got a new record. Only three drones left."

"Cool." Beast Boy headed for a side door. "I'll be in the gym if anyone needs me."

It was only after Beast Boy had left that Static noticed two things. Firstly, the talkative Mary Marvel hadn't said a word to their leader, and secondly, she was staring at the door he had left by.

"You like him, don't you?" Static asked, wrestling with a grin.

"Yeah. He's a nice guy." Mary responded flippantly. A little _too_ flippantly.

"No, I mean you _like_ him, don't you." Static baited.

Mary ran her fingers through her hair. "…Maybe."

Static grinned. "Awesome! Well, today's your lucky day, because Dr. Love is in the house!"

Mary looked around. "But I thought Gear was still working on those contact lenses…oh, you mean yourself."

"That's just mean. Anyway, what we're gonna do, is I'll "accidentally" lock you both in a closet for a few hours, and let nature take its course."

Mary gave him a blank look. "When has that _ever_ worked?"

"Err…"

"Besides, he'd just ask me to knock the door down, or crawl under it as an ant and open it from the outside, or something."

"Damn. It's harder to imprison superheroes than it looks."

Mary nodded. "Makes you wonder how all these supervillains seem to manage it all the time."

"Alright, we'll need to think about this…"

"Diana, be careful, we're not sure what we're dealing with here."

"Alright, J'onn." Wonder Woman skimmed over the land, heading towards Prague. Recently, a large portion of the city's police force had disappeared, and much of the military along with them. The city council had called on the Justice League, and Wonder Woman had been sent out to investigate.

"I've arrived." She touched down in a deserted alley. She huffed, her breath forming clouds in the midnight air. "Seems quiet. Oh. Wait. No it isn't." She reported as she watched a military policeman who was engaged in throwing rocks through shop windows. "What is the point of that?"

"Bait." A voice whispered behind her. Startled, she span around and was lost.

"Diana? Diana?" J'onn shouted, as her earpiece was removed and crushed under a red boot.


	2. Simple Plan

**Chapter Two: Simple Plan**

"So that's your master plan? 'Just talk to him'?" Mary sounded sceptical.

"Yup. Trust me, the simplest plans are the best."

"This plan is so simple it doesn't exist."

Static shrugged. "So improvise. You'll do fine, don't worry."

"Well…if you say so."

"I do. Go get 'im." Static grinned.

With that encouragement, Mary walked into the gym. Static waited until she had left, and then spoke.

"That lucky, lucky, lucky, _bastard_."

* * *

"Crazy, but that's how it go-oes. Millions of people, living as fo-oes."

"You still can't sing, you know."

Beast Boy pouted. "That's not fair. It's Ozzy Osbourne, you're not _allowed_ to sing in tune."

Mary grinned as Beast Boy readjusted the settings on his weight machine, and got back to work.

"So…you never told me why you left the Titans."

No response, although Beast Boy's claws started to leave marks in the handle he was gripping.

Mary was about to change the subject when Beast Boy stopped working, and got up. "maybe some other time."

"How about tonight?" Mary asked. It wasn't very subtle, she knew, but she hoped it would work.

She waited seven agonising seconds while Beast Boy sucked a bottle of water dry. "I don't know, you'd have to sit through more of my singing."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I was planning to visit the karaoke bar, and that's a commitment I just can't break. But, perhaps, if you wanted to tag along?"

Mary grinned. "Sure."

Beast Boy nodded. "It's a date. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to shower."

Mary waited until Beast Boy had left the room, and counted to twenty.

_Eighteen…nineteen…twenty._ "Yes!"

* * *

"What happened?" Batman glared at his green skinned friend.

"We lost contact with her. She was investigating a disturbance in Prague, and…this is the last transmission." J'onn pressed a button on the console, replaying the recording.

"_What is the point of that?"_

"_Bait."_ A voice whispered.

A start of a gasp, cut short. A crunching sound, as her communicator was destroyed. Nothing more.

"Have you scanned for her?" Batman's voice was terse, a sure sign that he was worried.

"Bruce, we have no idea where she is, and you remember what happened the last time I scanned an entire city."

"We need to find out what's going on."

"I know." J'onn put his hand on Batman's shoulder before moving away.

"So, you got a date with the green machine." Mary turned to see Static grinning.

"I think so- wait, how do you know?"

"I was listening."

Mary took the only reasonable route and threw the TV remote at his head. That was enough to convince him to retreat, and hopefully keep his mouth shut too.

"Evening, Gar."

Beast Boy stepped through the double doors into the lab. "Hey Gear, what's up? You wanted to see me?"

Gear nodded. "It's about your powers. I don't think the cams are gonna work with them."

"What's the best you can do?"

"When you shift, where do your clothes go?"

Beast Boy paused. "I don't know. I think there's magic involved."

Anywhere else, that remark would have been perceived as odd. But superheroes were _good_ at odd. "Well, we know it comes back, so how about we fit you with a camera and earpiece and see how it goes? We may only be able to contact you in human form, but that's better than the blackout we've got at the moment."

Beast Boy nodded. "Can you give them to me now?"

Gear frowned. "Why? I haven't done any green ones yet, the only spares are in blue."

"I'm going out tonight, and it would be best if I was wired." A thought occurred to him. "These _are_ private, right?"

This comment gave Gear a good insight as to what exactly Beast Boy was planning to do while he was 'out'.

"Yep. I won't activate them unless I get audio confirmation from you."

"Good man. What's the time?"

"Six O'clock."

"Whoa. I gotta get ready."

Gear didn't feel the need to ask exactly what he was getting ready for. Frankly, it seemed obvious.

* * *

"Well I would walk five hundred miles and I would walk five hundred more, just to be the man that walked a thousand miles to fall down at your do-oo-or!"

Beast Boy bowed theatrically in the storm of applause and laughter that followed, and Mary couldn't help but join in. For although Beast Boy couldn't sing, he had two things working in his favour.

He was infectiously enthusiastic, and he was a consummate performer.

Said consummate performer slumped down at her table, and grinned at her. Leaning over, he murmured in her ear.

"You've been sitting there long enough. How about a duet?"

What the hell, why not? Mary nodded, and was surprised when Beast Boy dragged her by the hand 

She did, however, allow herself a feeling of trepidation when Beast Boy selected the song. AC/DC was _not_ in her vocal range.

Beast Boy grabbed the microphone as the chords began, and came into his own.

"Riding down highway, goin to a show, stopping on the byways, playin' rock and roll…"

"Have fun?" Beast Boy asked as they left the club, applause still ringing in their ears.

"Yes, thanks. Who knew you could do such a good Bon Scott impression?"

"Told ya I was better on stage." Beast Boy smirked.

"You did indeed." Mary said, stepping towards him. _Just a few more inches_…

She began to lean towards him, and he began to imitate her. Suddenly, there was a buzzing in his ear, and he pressed the button on his communicator, opening the channel.

"There's trouble."

"What?"

"I was monitoring police communications when I heard this." Said Gear, and played the message. Instantly Beast Boy's ear was filled with a Southern voice, which wavered as he spoke.

"_O good God, Lord almighty, Heaven's to murder. Troy, we've got a cataclysmic situation developing. Someone get down here now!"_


	3. A Cataclysmic Situation

**Chapter Three:**** A Cataclysmic Situation**

Beast Boy had shifted into a horse. A cheetah would be faster, but would over tax his muscles and if he ran for too long that could be fatal.

"Mary." Gear shouted over the communicator. "I just got confirmation of their position. Patching through."

Mary suddenly heard the same southern voice Beast Boy had heard minutes earlier. He sounded even more frantic than before.

"_Oh no, it's getting worse, worse by the minute we're down here in the division in fifth street, someone send for back up!"_

Mary accelerated, grabbing Beast Boy by his mane. Instantly he shifted into a grass snake and curled around her wrist. They were gone in a white blur.

When they arrived at Fifth Street they found a scene of utter devastation. Cars had been overturned, and Beast Boy's blood ran cold to see a car had been lodged in an office building. About seven stories up.

* * *

"Bruce, we've found her."

Batman was instantly at the Martian's side. "Where?"

"We're getting a lock on her now. Your paranoia has paid off."

Bruce nodded, silently thanking himself for attaching several tracers to every member of the League. It was in their membership card, and each one of the original seven had three more in various parts of their costume, including one in the heel of Wally's shoe, which Batman was fairly sure the speedster didn't know about.

Batman raised an eyebrow at her location. "Massachusetts?"

A SWAT van rounded the corner, but before it had stopped moving, Beast Boy saw a lithe figure land on top of it, and tear the roof off like it was paper. Mary wasted no time in barrelling into this attacker, but gasped when she recognised them.

"Wonder Woman?"

Her only response was a blow to the jaw, which sent the young heroine flying. Beast Boy caught her as a gorilla. Shifting back to a human form, he looked directly at their attacker and opened his communication channel.

"Gear, you seeing this?"

"…Holy shit."

* * *

"…Holy shit." Gear slumped back in his chair for a second.

"Gear I need you to" Beast Boy shifted, and his screen went black. "Prep Arrowette and Static. Tell them to" Another shift, this time for longer. "get their asses down here _now_."

Gear pressed a button and immediately the base was filled with yellow pulses of light. Moments later Static and Arrowette rushed into the room.

"Wassamatter? Logan and Mary run into trouble on their date?"

Arrowette raised her eyebrows. "They're on a date?"

"Not the time, and _yes_, they ran into trouble." Gear played them the video file.

"Oh _fuck_." Surprisingly, it was Arrowette who spoke first.

Static looked sidelong at her. "I was gonna say that."

Gear was losing his patience. "Are you two still here?"

"Nope." With that Static grabbed Arrowette's wrist and ran out of the room.

* * *

"This just in, there are reports that founding Justice League member Wonder Woman has gone haywire, and has begun attacking Star City. We go live to reporter James Howlett, on the scene."

"HOLY SHIT!" The reporter cried, as a green elephant was sent hurtling through the air towards him. Midway, it turned into a sparrow, and avoided colliding with him. Turning, it flew back into battle without hesitation. Composing himself, the reporter turned to the camera.

"This is James Howlett, live from Star City, where Wonder Woman has engaged in combat with members of the local superhero team the Young Justice. While the young heroes are fighting valiantly, it is clear that they cannot win alone."

The common room of Titans Tower was silent, every eye trained on the TV screen.

"What are you doing?" Arrowette asked as Static fished around in his pockets.

"Aha! Got it." He threw what he had found on the ground, and midway there sent a pulse of energy into it. It unfurled into a metal disc, only slightly larger than a bin lid. He stood on it, and extended his hand.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me."

Static scowled. "Name a faster way to get there."

"There's no room."

"We'll make room, now come on." With that, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her onto the disc, and took off.

"You're insane!" Arrowette screamed as she found herself in _much_ closer proximity than she was used to.

"So they say! Now hang on!"

They flew on, a symphony of exhilarated laughter and horrified screams.

* * *

Beast Boy jumped on Wonder Woman's back, grabbing her wrist as a gorilla, intending to stop her laying a blow on the fallen Mary Marvel. He ended up being dragged along as well, but his presence threw Wonder Woman enough to allow Mary to get out of the way. This thought almost consoled him as he ended up with his face mashed into the tarmac.

"Beast Boy, get out of the way!" Beast Boy eagerly complied, shifting into a rat and scampering out of the way, as Mary streaked past him and punched Wonder Woman in the jaw. This dazed her for a second, and she staggered back, an advantage Mary was quick to press. She landed several more blows before one hit Wonder Woman's bracer.

Beast Boy jumped in as Mary went sailing past his ear, and swiped at Wonder Woman as a bear. He hadn't expected her to catch his paw, and he looked at her with a mixture of fear and dread, and suddenly screamed in pain when she wrenched his arm.

It came off at the shoulder.

* * *

Starfire gasped in horror as Beast Boy collapsed to the ground, clutching at where his arm used to be. Kneeling in front of the Amazon princess. Suddenly the alarm went off, bathing the room in red light.

No one moved.


	4. Night of the Huntress

**Chapter Four: Night of the Huntress**

"Freedom is the right of all sentient beings."

The teller looked up in abject terror at the seven foot robot that this peculiar sentiment had issued from. It was especially peculiar since the large red-and-blue machine was pointing a gun at her head, while another -a large white one with what looked like a bell for a head- was in the process of emptying the cash register.

"That's right. Quake in terror before Control Freak!" The teller recognised the portly teen from the television, and found him to be _far_ more repulsive in real life. "Now come, Megatron, Prime, it's time to leave."

"Oh no it isn't."

Control Freak stiffened at the sound of a voice, and turned around. "Ah, the Titans. Megatron- you aren't the Titans."

"What gave you the clue?" The figure asked. "And what the hell are you doing?"

"What am I doing? What do you _mean_ what am I doing? I'm a supervillain. I'm doing what all supervillains do."

The figure sounded genuinely confused. "Use seven foot replicas of cartoon characters to rob convenience stores in the poor part of town? Man, supervillains are downmarket these days. What happened to, you know, blowing up the world, stuff like that?"

"Look, pal, who the hell are you? And why haven't the Titans shown up?"

"We apologise for the shortage of Titans at the moment." The figure said in his best 'intercom' voice. "My name's Jason" Control Freak gulped as the teenager drew a notched, old, but decidedly _heavy_ looking broadsword, and hefted it in one hand, pointing it towards Control Freak. "and I'll be kicking your ass today."

* * *

_Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow._

Beast Boy gritted his teeth as he forced himself to think rationally through the haze of pain.

_Okay…this should work. In theory._

Beast Boy screamed through gritted teeth as he forced his molecules to bend to his will. His shoulder tingled, and suddenly an arm grew with such speed that it looked like it had simply burst from his torso. He let loose a cry of pain, and suddenly felt _very_ hungry.

He stood, but suddenly felt a rush of dizziness, and collapsed onto one knee. Hearing footsteps, he looked up to see Wonder Woman standing over him. He noticed, with a shock, that her face was completely blank. Not a flicker of emotion. Devoid of all expression.

_Something is very wrong here._ Beast Boy thought about that for a second. _What was your first clue?_

* * *

"Megatron, use your Fusion Cannon!" Control Freak screamed, and the white robot raised its left arm, the black tube attached to it beginning to hum ominously.

It stopped when Jason jammed his blade down the barrel. He pulled out his sword and jumped back, just as the robot's weapon shut down. Explosively.

Control Freak dodged out of the way as his machine's head flew towards him. He gave a screech of frustration, and gave his commands to his other robot. "Optimus Prime, use your Laser Axe!"

With that, the other robot's right hand retracted, and in its place appeared an orange axe blade. Despite the name, it was clear that lasers were _not_ involved, and it was just a normal axe painted orange. It swung this blade at Jason, who parried, but was forced onto one knee by the force of the blow. Gritting his teeth, he shifted his weight, and ran the blade along the axe, so that the robot's weapon was pressing against the very tip of his sword. Immediately, Jason rolled sideways, so that the construct's blade clanged against the floor, and Jason swung his sword in a downward motion, severing the red arm. Standing in front of the disarmed robot, Jason plunged his blade in between the two glass plates on its chest.

Control Freak winced. "Ooh, right in the Matrix."

Jason kicked the deactivated machine over, and pointed his blade at Control Freak. "Now, are you going to give up, or am I going to have to hit you too?"

Control Freak immediately put up his hands.

* * *

Wonder Woman raised her fist, readying a blow that would, in all probability, smash Beast Boy's skull. He feebly tried to get out of the way, but he barely had the energy to move. It was all he could do to not pass out.

_Would be better if I did pass out._ Thought Beast Boy grimly. _Would hurt less._

With that thought in mind, he could only watch as Wonder Woman's fist was raised above her head, ready to fall like the wrath of some ancient god.

"Diana, stop!"

* * *

"Watch out! You almost hit that truck!" Arrowette screamed.

"What truck? Hold on!"

If not for the fact that his (albeit limited) concentration was the only thing that was stopping them smashing into a wall, Arrowette would have smacked him.

* * *

"Diana, stop!"

Batman's cry went unheeded, and she was about to finish Beast Boy when a blur of green and blue tackled her. J'onn pressed his palm to her head, and she gasped in shock.

"Dude…sweet." Was all that Beast Boy could manage before he passed out.


	5. Answers?

**Chapter Five: Answers?**

Beast Boy's eyes flickered open, and he groaned loudly, announcing his return to the living.

"You're up." Said a voice that ate gravel for breakfast then gargled with sulphuric acid.

Beast Boy looked blearily over at the dark figure in the corner, and said the first thing that came to mind.

"You're shorter than I remember."

"You're eight years older. You would have grown at least a _little_."

Beast Boy suddenly remembered where he was and why he was there. "Dude, is everyone alright?"

"Yes. Static and Arrowette arrived too late to actually participate in the battle, while the Marvel is…resilient."

"How long was I out?"

"A week."

"A week! Has anything happened while I've been out? How have the others held up?"

"The other members of your group have been…twitchy. The Titans have arrived."

"Oh."

"Why did you leave them?"

"Long story."

"You're not going anywhere for at least a day. I'd say we have the time."

Beast Boy glared at the man. "Is this relevant?"

"If it endangers your ability to work with them, then yes."

"It won't."

"I think I could be the better judge of that."

Beast Boy sighed. "Alright then."

* * *

_Beast Boy stood on the roof, cursing his lot. Somehow, he'd managed to aggravate Robin to the point where he'd been given the long patrol three days in a row. Okay, so maybe insinuating that Robin was a closet homosexual in front of Starfire was a bad idea. But the guy wore green tights, for crying out loud._

_An explosion knocked him from his stupor, and he peered over the edge of the building. He frowned as his keen eyes drank in the surreal scene in front of him. Flipping open his communicator, he called the Tower._

"_Robin, I've spotted…"he paused, wondering how he should phrase this "a…bunch of clowns…robbing this bank. Yeah."_

_Robin sighed on the other end of the line. "Beast Boy, if you want to mess around, that's fine with me. But not on duty." With that, he closed the link._

_Beast Boy stared at his communicator for a while. Then he dived over the edge without a moment's hesitation._

_A shot rang out in the street below._

* * *

"One of the crooks had a gun. He aimed at me, and I ducked." Here his voice took on an edge of steel. "The bullet hit a civilian instead. A girl, about fourteen years old. Hit her in the spine. She survived, which is a small miracle, but she's not walking again."

Beast Boy looked up. "Well, there you have…it…"

The room was empty.

* * *

J'onn was waiting in the main room when Batman walked in.

"She can't remember a thing. Not past what we got on her earpiece."

Batman scowled. "And you have confirmed this?"

The alien nodded. "She is not lying."

"Can you read her memories from when she was controlled?"

J'onn shook his head. "No. She was effectively unconscious for the entire time."

"Then it looks like we're back to square one." Batman turned to the Titans. "I suggest you return to Jump City. There is nothing more that you can do here."

"Not without seeing Beast Boy." Starfire's voice was adamant.

"Make it quick." With that, Batman and J'onn teleported away.

The Titans made their way to the medical wing, to see Beast Boy staring out of the window, looking uncharacteristically moody. They were surprised to see him awake. Batman hadn't seen the need to mention that.

"Beast Boy! You are well!" Starfire proclaimed.

"Yeah." Beast Boy turned to them with a small smile.

"Listen, man, we've got to head back to Jump now, but if there's ever trouble…"

"I know who to call." Beast Boy finished with a wry grin.

Neither Raven nor Robin said a word.

* * *

The figure stepped through the midnight air, his tan greatcoat flapping around him, and his matching fedora pulled down low. He was well aware that his new getup, combined with his condition, made him look like something H.G. Wells had dreamt up, but at least it was less conspicuous than his usual attire.

Besides, he'd long ago found a way to keep people from asking difficult questions. If the questioner was a woman, he told her he had a disfiguring rash, and then proceeded to hit on her. If it was a man, he told him it was a disfiguring rash, and then proceeded to hit on him. Although this had, on three separate occasions, backfired spectacularly (and there was the encounter with the Russian hermaphrodite that he was sure would haunt him to his dying day) it was usually successful in ensuring his privacy.

Now, however, he was actively seeking company. He had been on the run for weeks now, and he was at the last of his strength. Ducking into an alley, he played a desperate hand. He focussed all his remaining strength.

There was a dull thump, as his lifeless body hit the ground.


	6. More Questions

**Chapter Six: More Questions.**

A black figure darted towards the tower at speeds fast enough to break the sound barrier. It barrelled through the window, phasing through without damaging the glass. Once inside, it hovered in midair, turning its head this way and that, but the room was empty. Frustrated, the being darted through a door, and began to search the rest of the tower.

* * *

The T-Ship touched down on the roof, and the Titans exited. As the orange vehicle descended on its platform to the garage, Cyborg checked his sensors for anything unusual.

"Whoa. Robin, we've got a huge amount of electromagnetic energy floating around the tower."

Robin started at the news. "What does that mean?"

"In all honesty, I have no idea. It's acting like something Raven's powers cook up, but you're not doing anything, are you?" Cyborg looked at the empath, who shook her head. Cyborg glanced back at his arm. "Well, whatever it is, it's getting closer." The Titans immediately took up battle positions, and turned towards the door. Thus, they were completely unprepared when a figure composed entirely of black light floated up behind them.

Raven was the first to sense its presence, and span around. She frowned. "It's a soulself."

"A what now?" Robin hated not understanding things.

"It's a projection of your soul. It's one of the riskiest things you could ever do."

Raven started when the entity beckoned urgently, and pointed towards the city. "It wants you to follow it." Clarified Cyborg.

"Raven, you and Starfire see what it wants. Cyborg and I can't fly, so you'll have to go alone."

The girls nodded, and followed the glowing black being as it flew towards Jump.

* * *

Starfire flew in pursuit of the strange creature. She almost lost when it ducked into an alleyway, and overshot. Raven, flying slightly behind her, saw this and stayed on it. Starfire corrected herself, and arrived in time to see it stop, and flow into a prostrate figure dressed like someone straight out of a Chandler novel, but bandaged in the manner of an Egyptian mummy. She realised with a start that she remembered this man, and offered him her hand.

"Negative Man?"

The man's only response was to lean heavily on her, and she surmised that he was fighting to stay upright. She picked him up bridal-style, and was surprised that he did not complain, as Robin always did when she carried him like this. This must be a sign that he was weak indeed, and so she flew back to the Tower. There would be time enough for questions later.

* * *

"Robin. We're on our way back, and we're bringing a guest." Raven's voice crackled over the communicator.

"Alright. Do we need to set anything up?"

"I don't know yet. We'll be there in about thirty seconds."

True to her word, thirty-six seconds later the girls arrived, Starfire carrying what looked like a mummified private eye. She laid him on the sofa.

"Wait. Isn't he that guy, you know, that guy in the Doom Patrol?" Cyborg asked.

The man nodded, and whispered something.

"What was that?" Robin asked. He was surprised when the man dragged him down by the collar so their heads were level.

"Water…and a straw."

These were duly produced, and the Titans watched as the man poked the straw through his bandages and drank.

Starfire, predictably, broke the silence. "Why are you bandaged? Are you injured? Should we not remove them?"

"Not unless you want to die slowly and painfully from cancer."

"What do you mean, friend?"

"I'm radioactive. These bandages are specially treated so I don't kill you all. When I'm done I suggest you destroy this straw."

Robin interjected. "Do you need something to eat?"

Negative Man paused. "Do you have any thin soup?"

"I shall see." Starfire offered; keen to be away from this gloomy man. She walked over to the kitchen and began looking in cupboards.

They sat in silence until Starfire returned with a bowl of beef consommé, which Negative Man ate with his straw. When he was done, Robin asked:

"Why are you here?"

To his surprise, Negative Man didn't answer, but instead stood up, although his legs wobbled slightly. "We haven't got the time for stories. I'll tell you on the way."

Robin frowned. "Where are we going?"

"Star City. Garfield's in trouble."

"You mean Beast Boy?"

Negative Man stared at Starfire. "No. I mean the President. We urgently need to construct a working time machine, and use it to prevent his assassination."

Starfire frowned. "But-"

Negative Man facepalmed. "Please, can someone please explain to Little Miss Sunbeam what sarcasm is?"

Raven answered. "I've been trying for years. Sorry."

Cyborg decided it was time for Dr. Sanity to make an appearance. "Yo, if BB's in trouble, then why are we standing around? Let's go!"

* * *

Beast Boy stretched, flexing muscles that hadn't been used in a week. He walked out of the med bay, and into the main room, which was empty except for Gear.

"Hey, Rich." The teen started, and looked up from the TV.

"Oh. Hey Gar. Good to see you up."

"Good to _be_ up. Man, I feel so sore."

"Mmm."

"Hey, man, I'm gonna go for a walk, alright. I need to stretch pretty badly."

"Alright. Don't forget your earpiece, in case we need to call you."

"Okay, dude." Gar walked over to the case of communicators, and took his out. He also pulled out a vial of green solution, and used a pair of tweezers to fish out his eye-cam. "Alright, I'm wired. See you in a couple of hours."

"Bye." Once Beast Boy had left, Gear turned back to the movie.

"_This is madness!"_

"_Madness?..."_

Awesome.


	7. Revelations Too Late

**Chapter Seven: Revelations Too Late.**

"You're sure this thing is safe?" Negative Man's voice broke over the com link.

"Yeah." Cyborg replied defensively from his cab. "Why shouldn't it be?"

"Only, this thing flies, right?"

"Yeeeah…"

"So why does it say 'T-Sub' on the dashboard here? Not much water between here and Star."

"It's safe. Trust me."

"Hooray."

With that, the ship took off, before Negative Man got another chance to complain. Raven mused that few superheroes had been more aptly named. The man made her look like Starfire on a sugar trip.

"Told ya."

"The engines could always burn out mid flight." Negative Man retorted, sounding strangely hopeful.

"Anyway, Negative Man, are you going to tell us what's going on now?" Robin interjected.

"Alright." Negative sighed, a rush of static. "Our tale begins a little over three months ago. For a long time, Steve had been considering upgrading the Mento Helmet. We told him it wasn't necessary, but he felt that he wasn't strong enough. For weeks he was tinkering with that damn hat. Eventually, he decided it was powerful enough for him, and declared his upgrade complete.

"A little while later we attended the opening of Garfield's new base. So far, there seemed to be no problems. Then the Chief contacted us, told us that Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man- don't laugh, he's real- was on the loose again, somewhere on the West Coast. We tracked the bastard down, and engaged.

"Everything seemed normal, and Steve's upgrades seemed to be working fine. We caught the shapeshifter, and congratulated ourselves on another successful mission. We were idiots. That battle had been the first time Mento had tried out a new feature of his helmet- mind control. It had worked, too.

"Well, we got back to our jet, and Mento disappeared. Of course, the others went to look for him, and I was left to guard the jet. Not that I minded- my eyesight is hardly the best, what with my eyes being covered in black glass. Anyway, they went looking for him. None of them came back. Steve did. He talked to me.

* * *

"_Steve. You're back."_

"_Larry."_

"_Have you seen the others? They're looking for you."_

"_Yes. I saw them."_

"_Well, where are they?"_

"_Do you ever wonder what it's all about?"_

"_No. Where are the others?"_

"_Why do you care?"_

"_Because someone has to. Where are the others, Steve?"_

"_It doesn't matter."_

"_Yes it does. Where are the others?"_

"_I'll show you."_

"_Good. What the hell are you doing?"_

* * *

"He tried to hypnotise me. He failed."

"How did you avoid that?" Raven asked, interested despite herself.

"Having no visible eyes has its advantages. When he saw that had failed, he summoned the rest of the team, and ordered them to attack me. I ran.

"I found myself wandering around the West Coast. I had no idea where I was, but I eventually found my way to Jump City. And the rest you know."

"No, we don't." Robin corrected. "Why do you say Beast Boy is in trouble?"

"Mento goes insane. Mind-controlled Wonder Woman attacks Star City, where his foster-son lives. Two and two make four."

The T-Jet flew just a little bit faster after that

* * *

"Enjoying the movie?"

Gear responded without turning around. "Yup. It turns out the guy was dead all along. I saw it coming." He turned around. "And who are you? The invisible man?"

Negative man gave him the blankest of looks. "If I had ten cents for every time I heard that, I'd have…a dollar thirty."

"Wait…you're one of the Doom Patrol, aren't you?"

"Yes. Where's Garfield?"

Gear looked around Negative Man to see the Titans, looking as uncomfortable as they always did in the Young Justice base. "He's on a walk. Said he wanted to stretch his legs. You guys look tired." He said, addressing the Titans. "Why don't you get some rest? We've got a whole mess of spare rooms."

The Titans agreed, and left, with the exception of Starfire, who claimed she was not yet tired, and Negative Man, who was still agitated.

"Locate Garfield."

"Alright, alright, sheesh." Gear's fingers flew across a wireless keyboard. "There. He's walking in the park."

"His signal isn't moving."

"So he's resting. Man, you're paranoid."

"In this profession, paranoia is impossible. You're just remarkably perceptive, or long sighted. Call him."

"Fine, if it'll calm you down." Gear opened Beast Boy's channel. "Gar, you there?"

Silence.

"Gar? Hello?"

Dead silence.

"Gar, I'm turning on your eye cam. If you're doing anything private, close your eyes."

The camera activated, giving a charming view of Beast Boy's eyelid.

"Must've fallen asleep." Gear muttered, and sent a high pitched squeal into Beast Boy's earpiece. Nothing happened. "Uh oh….Starfire?"

"Yes?" The alien peered over Negative Man's shoulder.

"Could you go get Gar, please? He's in the park. I'll feed the coordinates into your communicator."

"Certainly, friend."

Gear tried waking Beast Boy again as Starfire flew off, and when that garnered no response, he felt the feeling of panic rise in his chest.

"This is the part where I tell you that I told you so." Negative Man said, trying to hide the worry that was creeping into his voice.


	8. Burden

**Chapter Eight: Burden**

Starfire flew low over the park, her left hand encased in green fire. Suddenly she spotted her target, lying on his back on the path.

_Maybe he has simply overtaxed himself. Maybe. _Starfire tried to reassure herself. She alighted next to him, and raised his head up. She suddenly felt the hand that supported his head grow damp, and when she withdrew it to see the dark green, almost black liquid that covered it, she screamed.

* * *

"Friends, you must prepare the medical bay! Beast Boy has been grievously injured!"

That had been the message that had been relayed to everyone in the base three minutes ago. Now Cyborg, Robin and Gear were manning the med bay, waiting for Starfire to arrive. She suddenly burst through the door with the changeling in her arms, wild eyed and looking as if she were about to cry.

Cyborg was all business. "We'll take it from here."

Starfire waited outside the med bay for half an hour until Robin came out, looking as if he had aged ten years.

"Star, you should really get some rest."

"What has happened to Beast Boy?"

Robin winced. He had hoped to avoid that question, and chose not to answer. "Rest now, we're doing everything we can."

"How is he, Robin?"

"I don't want to burden you-"

Starfire's sudden anger was frightening. "I am not a child, Robin, nor do I need your protection! When I saw him lying in the park, I thought he was _dead_, Robin. _Nothing_ could be worse than that, so tell me what his condition is!"

Robin sighed. "He's got massive head trauma, and I mean _massive_. It's a wonder that he's even alive, to tell you the truth. But he's in a coma."

"When will he wake up?"

Robin looked at the ground. "We can't be sure he will, Star. But we won't let him just slip away."

"…Thank you." Starfire walked away, in the direction of the guest rooms. One thing was for certain.

No one was getting much sleep tonight.

* * *

When Starfire walked into the main room after a night of tossing and turning, she found herself the subject of a barrage of questions from those not involved in the treatment of Beast Boy. She silenced them with a wave of her hand, and explained the events of last night as best she could. Their reactions were a symphony of fear, worry, and anger.

"Who did this?"

"How did this happen?"

"What are we going to do now?"

"Is he going to be alright?"

Raven floated an inch of the ground, and absorbed the news. She was floating to conceal the fact that her legs were feeling too weak to support her at the moment. She discarded the idea that he might not come back out of hand. That was patently ridiculous. It was Beast Boy they were talking about. One of life's constants. She turned to her left to see Mary Marvel, who looked damn close to hyperventilating.

"Oh shut up. That isn't helping."

She barely saw the fist before it connected with her jaw.

* * *

"One thing's puzzling me." Gear said.

"What? Asked Cyborg, as he examined the monitors.

"How come his healing factor hasn't kicked in? I mean, he regrew an arm in seconds, how come-"

"It's not really a healing factor, is why. It's more like shapeshifting into a form that still has two arms. He has to be conscious to do it."

"Ah."

* * *

Raven lay flat on her back, and rolled her jaw.

_Nope, nothing broken._

"Do you honestly not care?" Mary almost hissed. Raven jumped up and waved an arm, throwing up a shield between them.

_That should cool her down_.

Mary's fist punched straight through the shield, which suddenly had a spiderweb of cracks. And a gaping hole in it.

_Or maybe not_.

Mary grabbed Raven by the cloak, and lifted her into the air. "You must think I'm stupid, don't you?"

Raven kicked out, knocking Mary backwards. She tried to restrain her using her magic, but found her spells wouldn't hold on her.

"Just 'cause I don't have the whole 'black candles, incense and eyeliner' thing going on doesn't make me an idiot."

Raven dodged out of the way of a powerful kick, and leapt into the air. Mary followed.

"I saw how you two were acting when you first visited. I don't know _what_ you said to him that night, but you hurt him. Bad."

Raven held her tongue, concentrating on avoiding being pummelled. Unfortunately, Raven knew that she was outclassed. Unless she called on a little demonic aid, she had no chance of winning this fight.

"And I don't like it." Raven was losing the battle to control her anger. How _dare_ this bitch make such presumptions? Unfortunately, this meant she was distracted for long enough for Mary to land a punch that sent Raven spinning out of the air. Mary stayed airborne.

"I have no idea _what_ he saw in you." With that, Mary left the room, the group parting like the Red Sea before her.


	9. Fool's Hope

**Chapter Nine: Fool's Hope.**

The Titans, with the exception of Cyborg, who was still tending to Beast Boy, had gathered in Raven's room. None of them wanted to break the silence. Raven had started leafing through the few books she had brought. Eventually, she spoke.

"I'm going after him."

Robin frowned. "Who? Mento?"

"No. Beast Boy."

"What!"

"You can bring him back?" Starfire's voice had a spark of hope that had been missing since the night before.

"Maybe. I might not be able to, but I'm going to try. I _have_ to try."

"Oh, that is wonderful! I shall tell everyone!" Starfire exclaimed.

"No. I don't want to raise their hopes, in case I fail."

Robin stared at her. "What happens if you fail?"

She shrugged. "Then Beast Boy doesn't come back. Now leave, I need concentration."

They dutifully filed out.

After a short while Raven's peace was disturbed by a knock at the door.

"Raven? It's me."

Great. The bitch. _Ignore her, and she'll go away._

"Raven, you know I'm only humouring you. I'm coming in there, so can we try some civility, please?"

I'm ignoring you. Go away.

"Opening this door would be a start."

Go. Away.

"Raven, in five seconds, I'm going to tear this door down. I'd rather not do that- it would probably poison the mood. So could you please open this door?"

Raven sighed, and opened the door with a wave of her hand.

"Thank you." Mary stepped into the room. Raven let her speak. She obviously had something of a speech prepared.

"I know what you're planning to do. Now, I wasn't eavesdropping, but I have good hearing, and Starfire is _loud_."

Raven had to concede that.

"Now, I grew up around magic. I got to learn a lot about it; it's hard not to in the Marvels. I know what you told them. I also know what you _didn't_ tell them. I know by the way you just went as stiff as a board that you know what you didn't tell them too." Mary sighed. "Raven you _do_ know what the odds of your success are, right?"

Raven waved her question away. "Worse than one in a hundred, better than one in a million. Why?"

"And you _do _know what will happen to you, if you fail?"

"Yes."

"You'll be trapped. For eternity."

"That doesn't matter. I have to try."

"Raven, I'm going to speak plainly. You're acting like a lovestruck idiot." Raven hoped to heaven that Mary had missed the way she had tensed at that, but she doubted it.

Mary sighed, looking glum. "I thought as much." She did the _last _thing that Raven expected her to do, and pulled her into a brief hug. "Go get 'im. But you'd better take better care of him this time, or I'm going to have to punch you again."

With that, Mary left, leaving Raven a little confused.

* * *

Beast Boy sat up, and clutched at his head. It didn't hurt. Odd, seeing as he had lost consciousness through a blow to the back of the head. Looking around, he took in his surroundings for the first time. He was on a patch of orange sand, surrounded by orange clouds as thick as fog, but nowhere near as oppressive. He turned around, and was confronted by a huge wooden door. On it was printed the word, in neat serifed writing:

**DEATH.**

Curiosity got the better of him, and he reached for the handle.

"Trust me, that's a _bad_ idea." Beast Boy started at the unfamiliar voice, and looked up at where it had come from. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but what he saw _definitely_ wasn't it.

A young man, wearing dark glasses, a leather jacket, and sporting a shock of black hair, was chained to the door, arms splayed as if he was being crucified. Beast Boy said the only reasonable thing, in the circumstances.

"Who the _fuck _are you, and what the _fuck_ is going on?"

The man grinned, and inclined his head. "Kid Eternity, agent of Chaos, at your service. As for what's going on…you're dead."

There was no response to that.

"Well, not dead _per se_. Your body still functions, but it's a vegetable. Your spirit has departed, which is why you're here. Most people never see me, never get to choose whether or not they go through the door- which, incidentally, I'm eternally grateful for, 'cause with the number of people that die every day, I'd get _extreme_ motion sickness from the door swinging open and closed all the time- but you got lucky. And I intervened."

"Why'd ya do that?"

"Look, buddy, I'm doing you a massive favour here. I suggest you don't question it."

"So, what do I do now?"

Kid Eternity grinned. "Sit and wait for the rescue party."

"Can I get you down?"

Kid shook his head. "Nah, I'm quite comfortable thanks." A thought occurred to him. "Hey, could you get up here and get something out of my right jacket pocket?"

Beast Boy scrambled up the door, using the chains as makeshift stairs. Once on a level with Kid Eternity, he fished around until he felt something. He pulled it out. A harmonica. The Kid grinned at him.

"You wouldn't happen to be of a musical persuasion, would you?"


	10. Back in the Real World

Chapter Ten: Back in the Real World

**Chapter Ten: Back in the Real World**

"Cyborg?"

The android turned to see Raven in the doorway, looking as collected as ever.

"Yeah?"

"Would it bother you unduly if I sat here?"

"…I guess not. Why?"

"Thank you." Raven quickly crossed the floor and sat in the chair next to Beast Boy's bed, grasped his hand, and closed her eyes.

"Raven, what is going on?"

He got no response. Slowly, Raven's breathing slowed. Her pulse dropped, and her heartrate fell until all were in sync with Beast Boy's.

"Why doesn't anyone ever tell me what's going on?"

* * *

"Negative Man?" Robin sounded worried.

"Hmm?" He looked up from the book he had been reading.

"Would you mind telling us about the nature of Mento's mind control powers? It seems as if we'll need to know."

Negative Man nodded. "Well, it's not really mind control. What he does is twofold. Firstly, he shuts down their higher brain functions, which basically renders them unconscious. He then plants in their subconscious a pressing desire to complete a certain function."

Robin nodded. "So, if Beast Boy was attacked by one of these-"

"Which he probably was."

"Then you think his attacker will come still be after Beast Boy?"

Negative Man nodded.

Robin stood up. "Alright, we need to take action. Somewhere out there is another hypnotised enemy, and they're after Beast Boy. Now, what we've got to do is comb the city until we find them. Split into groups of two, and stay in radio contact."

"No." Arrowette stood up. "We lock down."

Robin shook his head. "We can't give them the initiative. Now, everyone get wired up-"

"You are not in command here!" Arrowette shouted. "With Logan's…absence…_I_ am in charge, and _I_ say we lock down. Now, if you want to take the Titans out on some wild goose chase, that's fine with me, but we're staying here. Rich, activate lockdown."

Gear complied, after a moment's hesitation. "Lockdown sequence initiated."

Immediately, metal plates slid to cover all the windows, and the power briefly deactivated, only to be reactivated by the on-site generator. Several side monitors activated on the main computer console, and Starfire could see that they were displaying the feedback from several extra cameras.

"What is different about these cameras?"

Gear explained, happy for a distraction from the tension. "They're linked to stun guns. Any motion, and they'll blast. We can order them not to, but that means someone has to be on hand all the time. So we made them part of the lockdown systems."

As if on cue, the guns decided to give the Tameranean a demonstration. Negative Man, distracted from the faintly amusing sight of Robin and Arrowette giving each other evil glares, Arrowette having the best of the deal, since her eyes were actually visible, and stepped over to the screens. When he saw who the cannons were trained on, his brow darkened, as far as anyone was able to tell, by the subtle way his bandages moved.

"Open the doors."

Arrowette heard this. "What?!"

"Open the doors. They can't hold him, and you might just save on replacing them."

Arrowette took a deep breath. "Are you certifiable?!"

Negative Man looked at her. "I know better than most what he's capable of. The doors won't hold for long. I _can_ deal with him, but not from in here if he's out there."

They were spared further argument when the doors were smashed inwards. All inside heard the sounds of a heavy figure thundering his way up the stairs, and everyone but Negative Man jumped when the doors of the main room were smashed inwards to reveal a seven foot slab of bronze.

"Hello, Cliff."

* * *

Raven took a deep breath, and composed herself. Mary's little speech had driven home the one thought that she had been avoiding since she had decided on this plan: there was a very good chance that she was about to die. However, she had rationalised her decision like so: if she didn't try, and Beast Boy never woke up, she would regret it for the rest of her life. Breathe in, breathe out. She stepped through the door. The choice was made.

"Cyborg?"

"Yeah?"

"Would it bother you unduly if I sat here?"

"…I guess not. Why?"

"Thank you." Raven quickly crossed the floor and sat in the chair next to Beast Boy's bed, grasped his hand, and closed her eyes.

"Raven, what is going on?"

He got no response. Slowly, Raven's breathing slowed. Her pulse dropped, and her heartrate fell until all were in sync with Beast Boy's. She heard Cyborg say something, but couldn't make out what. Slowly, her soulself awoke, and stepped from her body.

In the eyes of her soul, she saw Cyborg, who was glowing brightly with life. She turned her ethereal gaze to the bed, and saw exactly what had been described in her book.

Beast Boy was lying flat on his back. Unlike Cyborg, there was no glow about him, but instead there was a magical phenomenon that ranked as one of the most disturbing things Raven had ever seen.

Instead of Beast Boy's chest, there was a whirlpool of black energy, indented in his torso, which seemed to twist and distort his body. Raven loomed over it, fighting the urge to vomit. She couldn't actually vomit, being composed of black power, but she wasn't about to take chances. Right at the bottom of the swirling maelstrom, Raven thought she could see a hint of orange light. She moved a hand over it, and her arm was instantly pulled in, seemingly stretched by the power. It wasn't painful, just strange.

Okay. No backing out now. Try not to think that you could well be about to be stranded in an alternate dimension for all eternity, and just…jump.

She did. After a few seconds, in which time ceased to have any conventional meaning, and Newton stopped, stared, tore his notes in half and became a hangman, Raven found herself surrounded by orange clouds.


	11. Eternity

**Chapter Eleven: Eternity.**

When Raven floated through the orange clouds, the first thing she heard was the sound of a harmonica. The second thing she heard was singing, a pleasant tenor voice.

"Well its's al-right now, baby its-a al-right no-ow. Al-right now, baby it's-a al-right no-ow!" The singer changed his voice to a strange, wavering falsetto, and cried "it's time for my solo!" The chords the harmonica was playing changed, and the singer began to imitate a guitar solo with his voice. The harmonica stopped with a splutter, and the player laughed.

Oh god. _That_ laugh. She hadn't heard that laugh in how long? Five and half months. An eternity.

The harmonica started again, this time a complex tune that chopped and jumped around.

"Alright." The singer exclaimed, and began to sing. "Look at them yo-yos, that's the way ya do it, ya play the gee-tar on the MTV. Now that ain't workin', that's the way ya do it, get your money for nothin', get your chicks for free."

Raven floated down towards the music, as the singer broke into the chorus with an unnecessary amount of gusto.

"We got to install microwave ovens, custom kitchen deliver-ey-ey-ey! We got to move these, refrigerators, we got to move these colour TVs!"

_Okaaay…_

* * *

"Hello, Cliff."

The giant didn't respond, and Larry sighed, a muffled rush of air. "Alright. You distract him, so I can get behind him."

With that, Arrowette loosed an explosive arrow directly at his chest. It hit and detonated, but that was all. Robotman looked slowly at each person in the room, and then turned to the door.

"What the hell?" Static asked.

Negative Man frowned. "It's the hypnotism. He's only got one goal, and he's gonna ignore everything else until it's done." He paused for a second, apparently in deep thought. "It's a mercy he doesn't defecate, frankly."

Robotman had come to a decision, and was turning towards the doorway, totally ignoring the young heroes in their frozen tableau around him. Realising he was heading for the infirmary; Starfire put herself in the way, but was grabbed roughly by the shoulders and thrown aside, where she hit a wall.

"I know you hate it when we do this, but you're not giving me many options, buddy." Negative Man muttered, and jumped onto Robotman's back. After a few complicated seconds, where the small man looked like a novelty backpack as he fiddled with what looked like one of the rivets on Robotman's neck, while the metal giant completely ignored his passenger, Robotman stopped, his entire body locked still.

"What did you do?" Robin asked as Negative Man got down.

"Shut down everything bar life support. This way we don't have to hurt him, and he doesn't have to hurt _us_. And, as if any more proof were needed that this is the guy, look at his knuckles."

Robin did so. Robotman's left fist was painted a dark green.

* * *

"Country road, take me ho-o-me, to the pla-a-ce, where I belo-o-ng! West Virginia, mountain mama, take me ho-o-me, country road."

Raven hit the orange sand, and was met with a _very_ strange sight. A huge wooden door, bearing the legend "**DEATH**"apparently leading from nowhere to nowhere, was the dominant feature in the landscape. The singing was issued from a young man who appeared to have been crucified with chains to the door, and the harmonica was coming from a figure sitting cross-legged with his back to her, the only visible feature being his shock of…green hair…

Raven wasn't entirely sure what happened in the next few seconds. A few details- Kid Eternity grinning and nodding at her, Beast Boy spinning around, the dull thump as the harmonica hit the sand- stood out with perfect clarity, but the rest was a blur.

All Raven was sure of was at the end of it she was kissing him and he was kissing her back and for one eternal, blissful, _glorious_ moment, everything was alright.

Eventually, they broke apart, and Beast Boy grinned breathlessly, his forehead resting on hers.

"Never let it be said I don't care." Raven said, aware that Beast Boy wouldn't understand, but too out of it to care.

"I'll take what I can get." Beast Boy smiled back.

"Guys, hate to break up the mushy moment, but you should probably get going." Kid Eternity waggled his left hand, and the sand poured upwards into a pathway that led to the rip in the clouds that Raven had entered by.

"Here." Beast Boy retrieved the fallen harmonica.

"Nah, you keep it."

"You sure?"

"What am I gonna do with it? Now get going."

With that, Beast Boy took Raven's hand, and they began to walk on the pathway. After a few moments, the door creaked open, and a skeletal head poked through the gap.

IS EVERYTHING IN ORDER? I THOUGHT I HEARD SINGING.

"Everything's under control, man. I was just amusing myself."

I'M SURE YOU WERE. AND WHAT OF THE LOGAN BOY?

To his credit, Kid Eternity didn't even blink. "Who?"

OH. I APOLOGISE. WORK MUST BE GETTING ON TOP OF ME. One of the pinpoints of blue light in Death's eyes flickered out briefly, his equivalent of a wink, and he closed the door as he returned to his realm.


	12. Back to Reality

Chapter Twelve: Back to Reality

**Chapter Twelve: Back to Reality.**

"So," Beast Boy said as the pair walked up the path "what's happened since I've been out?"

Raven looked at him. "Well, the Titans have arrived in Star."

"Oh? How come?"

"Negative Man showed up claiming you were in danger. It looks like it was just as well."

Beast Boy's eyes lit up at that. "Really? Larry's here?"

Raven started. "Larry? There's actually someone in the world called _Larry_?"

Beast Boy chortled. "Yeah. Well, everyone on the Doom Patrol has a stupid name. Larry, Garfield, Cliff, Rita…the only normal one was Steve."

Raven remembered suddenly what Negative Man had told them. She didn't want to be the one to break the news to Beast Boy, but there wasn't anyone else around.

"Beast Boy…we found out who was behind the attack."

Beast Boy's ears perked up at this. "Oh?"

Raven paused, composing herself. "It was Mento."

Beast Boy was silent for a long time. "Tell me what happened." His voice was small, unsure, like it would crack if used too much.

Raven told him everything.

--

"Is there anything to drink around here?"

Arrowette turned to the source of the tired voice, and found herself staring at bandages.

"Sure. Coffee or tea?"

"Not exactly what I had in mind, but I'll have tea, if you don't mind."

"Static, put the kettle on, would you?"

"Why me?" He groused.

Arrowette smiled sweetly. "Because I'm in charge here, and I say so. Consider it partial revenge for making me ride that flying bin lid of yours."

Static mumbled insulting things about abuse of the chain of command, but started rifling through the cupboards. His fingertips brushed a box, and he pulled it out. However, he made a face when he read the label.

"Herbal tea? Who drinks this crap?"

Arrowette shrugged. "Gar bought it a while back, I think."

"It's full." He shrugged, and turned to Negative Man. "Want some?"

"I suppose so." With that he wandered over to the sofa and sat down, passing Cyborg, who was staring at the deactivated Robotman with a mixture of horror and awe.

Standing on a chair, Static waved the box of tea in the air. "Herbal tea? Anyone for miscellaneous leaves in boiling water? Last chance…okay, one for Ray Of Sunshine. Coffee? Last call for coffee…okay, one for Traffic Light Man, one for Lil' Miss Bossy, one for Richie, and one for that epitome of human perfection, me."

With that, Arrowette took the opportunity to knock him off his chair.

Gear turned away from the amusing sight of his best friend being beaten up by a girl five inches shorter than him, and saw Mary sitting in the corner, looking thoroughly sorry for herself. Sighing, he made his way over to her, and sat on the floor next to her.

"You alright?"

She paused for a moment, then answered. "I guess I've been better."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Not really. I mean, we've got enough problems as it is. Adding a hormonal teenage drama into the mix would _really_ not help."

He held her gaze. "It's about Logan, huh?"

"Yeah." She continued in a sing-song voice. "It looks like he still has a thing for the purple haired girl, and I was just there to help him get over her, which kinda didn't work because we got interrupted on our first- and almost certainly last- date by a hypnotised superhero who hospitalised him for a week, which gave purple haired girl time to arrive, and now she's demonstrated that she _clearly_ has a thing for him- you don't do what she is now doing for _friends_, that's for sure. So that leaves me out in the cold, I guess. Oh well." She sighed theatrically, to punctuate her tirade.

Gear chose his next words carefully. "If I was gonna look on the bright side, I'd say that it's better you found this out _now_, as opposed to, say, six months from now, when It'd be even more messy. As it is, I guess you could cut your losses without too much heartache. At least, I hope you can."

"You think?"

"Yeah. At least you aren't too heavily emotionally invested in the guy. I just hope you can stay friends with him after this. We don't want to wreck the team so soon."

Mary was quiet for a while. "Thanks, Richie. I think you're right. Staying friends with Gar shouldn't be too hard, but I want to keep my distance for now, I think."

"Okay." With that, he stood up, and went to retrieve his coffee.

--

"So, what are we going to do?" Raven asked, uncharacteristically breaking the silence that had descended with the news.

Beast Boy stared hard, straight ahead. "We've got to stop him."

Raven coughed. That's not what I was talking about." She glanced down, where Beast Boy's hand was still meshed with hers.

"Oh." He scowled at nothing. "Can we table discussion of that until we've dealt with my dad going batshit crazy? I think that we've got enough problems to deal with right now."

"Okay."

Raven decided not to comment on the fact that neither of them moved to let go.

--

**I'm alive! Sorry for the delay, folks. (Glances at the seven stories that I have started since I last updated this one). Hopefully my muse will stop playing FFX now. Or not. I still have "Transposed" to finish, after all.**


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